Page 54 of Seasons of War
CHAPTER 14
Kira
Ciondo
833 P.C. [Post-Collapse]
Dr. Cooper walked with Kira through the halls of his clinic, speaking with her casually about her childhood and work at the market. There may not be electrodes glued to her head today, but this was the same interrogation as the night before.
Being here without Zayne left her even more vulnerable to the questioning. He helped her once already. What if she needed him again?
Her mind spun through all the perplexities of that confusing man.
Over and over, she saw the look on his face when he turned to see her in the kitchen. For that split second when she caught him off guard, she truly saw him.
Kira shouldn't mistake the twinge of pity at seeing his scars for compassion. Zayne's sad stories didn't make him any less dangerous. And yet, knowing this, she struggled to hold him in the mold she needed to fit him in.
Now, she knew how he looked as he struggled to hold his mask in place, and she wanted to peel it away all the more. That glimpse last night revealed enough before he realized Dr. Cooper hadn't locked her in her room, and he locked himself away once more.
It'd been jarring for them both. She suspected it had permanently changed things for them both as well. The dim of night had softened his perpetually tightened brow. He looked young like that, with his expression unguarded and mired with pain seeping out from his scars. Too young for the responsibility pushing down upon him.
His tank top revealed all his marks as a soldier—his band, the double seal, the snakes, far more scars than expected. Somehow, that stripped him of the uniform entirely, so she saw not a soldier of the Phaedra, but a man standing before her. A man with a story and a heart. A man serving the Phaedra by day and his own nightmares by night. A man who happened to look nice, sleeveless and draped in shadows. How could Kira save herself from seeing this man when he entered her cell, hidden by a uniform?
That confusion fluttered dangerously in her stomach.
Kira could not unsee Zayne. Had that been the real reason for her visit to Dr. Cooper?
If he once defied orders to save an innocent person, then he'd had a soul at some point. Still might. Whether Zayne secretly cared for innocent lives or whether Dr. Cooper brainwashed the compassion out of him, he wasn't the person she first believed him to be.
“I watched your conversation last night,” Dr. Cooper said. “Zayne caught your interest. You're curious.”
Kira figured Dr. Cooper studied her so much during the interrogation that he could read her lies without the machines. “I can't figure him out.”
“Mystery. A certain brooding charm.” Dr. Cooper smiled coyly. “A state of undress. And the final touch, feeling just out of reach.”
She stopped walking, a sick feeling churning in her stomach. Heat flushed her cheeks. “I was not—”
“You were.” He began to walk again. “Cameras don't lie. You're a lovely woman. He's a good-looking man. You're both of similar age. Surely you understand this entered into the calculation of choosing him.”
Maybe this wasn't the worst thing Dr. Cooper could do to her, but she resented him so much in that moment. “My emotions are not a toy, and I won't be seduced, especially not by a heartless jerk.”
“Zayne may be a jerk, but he is not remotely heartless.”
Imagine if Zayne heard any of this. Kira may know little about him, but she was certain he'd want to punch Dr. Cooper's teeth in for these comments. “You're lucky he isn't here listening to this.”
Kira should have hidden her ire better, but she wasn't good at muting her feelings. They walked quietly for a while, Dr. Cooper no doubt reveling in his success.
“You know, I find myself in a precarious position,” Dr. Cooper said. “I want us to accomplish our objectives in the most peaceful way possible. Your testing worries me, however. You're very steady in your morals, and you don't support the Phaedra. That's enough to execute a person.”
The pivot in conversation reignited her dormant fear. It waited beneath the surface, always ready to rear its head.
“I'll help you while you're here.” He opened a door and welcomed her into a room covered with screens. An oval-shaped tank sat in the middle of the room.
Kira froze in the doorway, but Dr. Cooper placed a forceful hand on her back and encouraged her forward.
“Do you know why Zayne shoved me against the wall?” He asked it while leading Kira deeper into the room.
“No.” The word got stuck in her throat.
